Thorps Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Thorps Building |
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Thorps Building, 2008
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| Location | Macrossan Street, Ravenswood, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900 - 1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | c. 1903 |
| Official name: Thorps Building, Burns & Fritz Hardware, Hollimans Limited, Thorp's Goldfield Tearooms | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600452 |
| Significant period | 1900s (fabric) c. 1903-1970s, 1980s-ongoing (historical use) |
| Significant components | gate - entrance, furniture/fittings |
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The Thorps Building is a historic commercial building in Ravenswood, Queensland, Australia. It stands on Macrossan Street. This building was constructed around 1903. It is also known by other names like Burns & Fritz Hardware, Hollimans Limited, and Thorp's Goldfield Tearooms. The building was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992, because of its important history.
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Discovering Thorps Building's Past
The Thorps Building was built around 1903. It was made for Sydney Hood Thorp. He was a mining agent and sharebroker. This means he helped people buy and sell parts of mining companies. Thorp had big business interests in the goldfields of both Ravenswood and Charters Towers.
Ravenswood: A Gold Rush Town
Ravenswood was one of several important goldfields in North Queensland. These gold discoveries were very important for the area's growth. Finding gold often decided where railways were built. It also influenced where towns and businesses started. Some gold rush towns were very short-lived. They appeared quickly and then disappeared just as fast. Other towns, like Ravenswood, grew into established places. They had government buildings, shops, and homes.
Gold was found in Ravenswood in 1868. This was a few years after people started farming in the area. The gold was found in "reefs," which are veins of rock. A small machine called a battery was set up in 1869 to crush the gold ore. The town was officially surveyed in 1870. However, the town's streets and buildings were already in place. The survey just made it official. This is why the main streets in Ravenswood are not perfectly straight.
Ravenswood became an official town in 1871. But soon, problems arose. The gold found deeper in the ground was hard to separate from other minerals. It needed special machines and more money to get it out. Many miners left for other goldfields. For example, Charters Towers was discovered in 1871. It quickly became a bigger gold producer than Ravenswood.
Despite these challenges, Ravenswood continued to grow. It still produced some gold. Silver was also found nearby in Totley in 1878. Ravenswood also became an important trading center. By 1874, the town had a courthouse, police station, and a post office. It also had a school. The town became even more stable when the railway arrived in 1884. New ways to get gold from the ore also helped. Older public buildings were replaced with newer ones.
Owners and Businesses of Thorps Building
The land where Thorps Building stands was bought in 1881 by Ah Pong. The first person known to run a business there was Martin Braby. He bought the property in 1885. He started as a draper, selling cloth and clothing. Later, he also became an agent for sales and insurance. In 1894, Robert Stewart and James Clark bought the property. They likely rented it out to other businesses.
In 1899, a new company called the New Ravenswood Company was formed. It was started by Archibald Laurence Wilson. He raised money from other countries. This company reopened old mines. They also used modern methods to reprocess old mining waste more efficiently. The investors made their money back quickly. This made people around the world interested in Ravenswood. This was the start of Ravenswood's most successful time. This period lasted for several years.
Sydney Hood Thorp was a sharebroker and mining agent. He was based in Charters Towers. He had opened a mining exchange there in 1887. In 1900, he opened a branch in Ravenswood. It was called Thorp's Mining Exchange. It was in a building on Barton Street. This building also had a chemist and a law library. This building was destroyed by fire in August 1901. That year was a time of both destruction and new construction in Ravenswood. The New Ravenswood Company was rebuilding mining facilities. Businesses were doing better. New commercial buildings were being built after two big fires. These fires had destroyed whole blocks of the business area. After the first fire in April, the Imperial Hotel and two rows of shops were built on Macrossan Street. They were next to the Ravenswood Hotel. In 1902, Thorp bought land across from these new buildings. We don't know if Thorp ever ran his own business from this exact spot.
Thorp was a shareholder in Hollimans Limited. This company had been in Charters Towers for a while. They supplied the mining industry with many things. These included household goods, guns, and sports equipment. They were also agents for important mining items. These included steam engines, pumps, and parts for crushing machines. They also worked as real estate agents.
Hollimans opened a branch in Thorp's building in 1903. The building might have been built for them to rent. However, Hollimans did not own the building until 1920. Hollimans in Ravenswood sold machinery, hardware, and timber. They had a large supply of new and used mining machinery. They also sold furniture and other metal goods. Thorps Building also had other renters, like a dentist. The top floor might have been used for offices.
The Town Changes Over Time
The mining boom in Ravenswood did not last. By the time Hollimans moved into the store, the town's population had reached its highest point. After 1908, the cost of getting gold out of the ground increased. The amount of gold found decreased. By World War I, it was clear that the gold mining would not recover. Buildings started to be sold and moved away. In 1916, train services were cut. In 1917, the New Ravenswood Company closed down. In the 1920s, most of the wooden buildings in Ravenswood were moved. However, brick buildings, like Thorps Building, could not be moved.
The Ravenswood Shire joined the Dalrymple Shire in 1929. In 1930, Ravenswood became the first Queensland town to lose its railway connection. Mining had a small comeback in the 1930s. In 1932, Robert Burns leased the building. He had been a manager for Hollimans. He partnered with John Fritz. They ran a business called Burns & Fritz Hardware. They also sold groceries. They eventually bought the building from Hollimans in 1948. In 1957, after Fritz died, the building was sold to Frank and Blanche Weinheimer. By the 1960s, Ravenswood had a very small population of about 70 people. At this point, tourists started to become interested in the town. Studies were done on the buildings. Work began to protect them.
In 1973, Sidney and Isabel Kelly bought the building. It had been empty for some time. In 1987, Trevor and Pamela Nance bought it. They renovated it and opened an arts center. In the 1980s, the entire town was listed by the Australian Heritage Commission. It was also listed by the National Trust of Queensland. In 1987, Carpentaria Gold Ltd opened a new open-cut mine. They used modern methods to extract gold.
In 1989, Thorps Building was sold to its current owners. They opened a tearoom in the building. They used the shop next door to sell arts and crafts. The top floor was used as a home. The shop is currently empty. However, the owner still lives in the building.
What Thorps Building Looks Like
Thorps Building is on the main street of Ravenswood. It is across from the Imperial Hotel. It is next to a single-story shop of about the same age. Ravenswood is a mining area. It has disturbed ground with old ruins and piles of mining waste. These are found among unique chinkee apple trees and rubber vines.
The building is two stories tall. It is made of brick covered in a smooth layer of plaster. It has a corrugated iron roof that slopes down to the back. This roof is hidden by a parapet wall at the front. The name "Thorp's Buildings" is written on this wall in raised letters. The building has two shops on the ground floor. There are offices above them. The front of the building has verandahs on both floors. These are supported by pairs of wooden posts. They have decorative cast iron lace brackets and valance (decorative trim). The upper floor also has cast iron panels. The upper floor has four sets of French doors. These doors open onto the verandah.
A central entrance with iron gates leads to a hallway. Stairs go up to the first floor from here. There are shop entrances on both sides of this main entrance. These have recessed wooden doors. They also have large glass display windows with wooden frames. The inside of the shops is still quite original. This includes the pressed metal ceilings and wall coverings. The building used to have its own gas producer. It still has gas pipes and fittings from that time.
Why Thorps Building is Important
Thorps Building was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means it is considered very important to Queensland's history.
A Glimpse into Queensland's Past
Ravenswood was one of the first places in North Queensland to have major gold mining. This mining greatly helped the area grow economically and socially. Thorps Building is a large commercial building. It was built to supply miners with essential goods. It was also meant to be as good as other new commercial buildings in Ravenswood in the 1900s. This shows how the town developed during that time.
A Great Example of Old Buildings
Thorps Building is now the only two-story store left from a busy commercial area. In the early 1900s, this area had many beautiful and stylish stores. Its design, layout, and decorations make it a good example of a high-quality commercial building from the Federation era (early 1900s). It was originally used to sell everything from household items to mining machinery. This perfectly shows what a mining community needed back then.
A Beautiful Part of the Town
Thorps Building, along with the single-story shop next to it, looks very attractive. It is an important and noticeable part of the Ravenswood town view.
Connected to Important People
Thorps Building is important because of its connection to Sydney Hood Thorp. He was a sharebroker and mining agent. He played a big role in the economy of the Ravenswood goldfield. The building also had a long connection with Robert Daniel Burns. He was first a manager for Hollimans. Later, he became a part-owner of Burns & Fritz.
